Combined casing and tubing tongs and holder.



B. MINKLER.

COMBINED CASING AND TUBING TONGS AND HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 141111.21, 1914.

1,127,066. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

wlT/vEssEs.- llvl/E/v Tof? /gfl c a @in K, s' @mi BY Y L Uf/wi A TToR/VEY UNrrn srieians Para BRUCE MINKLER, OFYMARICOPA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES DICKINSON AND WILLIAM. J'. SCI-IULTZ, OF MARICOPA, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED CASING AND TUBING TONGS AND HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Application filed March 21, 1914. Serial No. 826,237.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BRUCE MINKLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maricopa, in the county of Kern and Stat-e of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Casing and Tubing Tongs and Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, in general, to apparatus and implements used in the art of well-boring or drilling, and, particularly, to that class of tools and devices which in their use are applied to the casing or to the tubing to secure certain necessary results in their installation or in their dismemberment.

To make clear the object of my invention and its use, it may be best to state that the well-casing consists of a number of sections of pipe which form the metallic lining of the well-hole. These sections are successively screwed together by couplings, as the well deepens, and form what is called the casing string.7 rl`he tubing is likewise a string of pipe sections coupled together, said tubing being suspended within the casing and forming the housing for the sucker or pump rods and also the channel through which the well-contents are discharged. In both cases, as the string of previously coupled sections is lowered into the well, a fresh section is coupled to the upper end of the string, and this operation requires the employment of well-known tools and devices. These are usually apair of elevators the upper one supporting the fresh pipe section by bearing up under its collar on top and lifting said section to vertical alinement with the String, and the lower one bearing up under the uppermost collar of the string, and supporting said string; and two tongs, the lower one, called the back-up tongs, being applied to the string to lock it against rotation, while the upper one, applied to the fresh section, screws said section into the upper most collar of the string.

My invention which, from its function, may properly be termed a combined casing and tubing tongs and holder, is intended to take the place and to do the work of the lower elevator and the back-up tongs. When operating on the casing, it rests upon the well-mouth blocks, and when operating on the tubing it rests upon the casing-head. Its function is the dual one of supporting the casing string or the tubing string, as the case may be, and locking itagainst rotation, while the fresh section is` being screwed home, and this it does so effectually that not only is the fresh section screwed home tight in the collar of the string, but also the collar itself is tightly set up on said string, which is a. desirable result, and one not usually reached by the usual tools.

My invention, therefore, consists in the novel combined casing and tubing tongs and holder which I shall now fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the combined casing and tubing tongs and holder. F ig. 2 is a plan of the same.

l is a stock or body sufficiently extensive and .fiat bottomed to give it stable support. The forward end of the stock is formed or provided with the fixed j aw 2, having a Side entrance. The jaw is best provided with a bushing 3 detachable therefrom, for the substitution of another bushing of different size, in order to adapt the device for diiferent diameters of casing or tubing. The bushing 3 is held by a screw Ll. The stock or body 1 opposite the functional face of the fixed jaw is formed with an inclined-plane abutment 5, which slopes downwardly in the direction of the jaw.

6 is the swinging jaw. rIhis may also be provided with a detachable bushing 7, adapting the jaw for the fitting of different size of bushings as may be required.

The back of the swinging jaw 6 is inclined at 6 to correspond with the incline of the abutment 5. r1`he jaw 6 is carried by a pair of parallel links 8, the rear ends of which play in a slot l of the stock and are pivoted therein at 9. The forward ends of the links play in a slot 10 in the back of the jaw and are pivoted therein at 11. A handle 12 is pivoted at 13 to the upper one of the links 8, and said handle has a rolling fulcrum on the stock formed by the rollers 14, playing on the level fulcrum surfaces 15 of the stock and down behind the inclined surfaces 16 of said stock. `When the jaw 6 is open, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the handle 12 is depressed and its rollers l 14, bearing behindjtlie'inclined fulcrum surfaces 16 of the stock, serve to hold the parts in this position. Butwhen the handle 12 is lifted, the rollers 14: travel up the surfaces 16 and then upon the level surfaces 15, andy the jaw 6 descends by gravity to itsworking position in which its inclined back 6 nds a bearing. on theV inclined abutmentofthe pipe, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

In order to insure the grip of the jaws` upon the casing or tubing with the effectof. both holdingtheflatter from lineal: movezontal gripping teeth 17k in the swinging jaw, ormore correctly in its bushing, andV I have shown vertical grippingv teeth 18 in theiixed jaw or rather in its bushing.

A handlev 19 of sufficientlength is fitted tothe stock 1, to enable the device Vto'be'securely held, as, for example, by tying it, so that it will resist the rotary strain of'the' operation. l f- Y 'Io close the device on its work, the operator has'merely to kick the handle 12 of the swinging jaw up, whereupon vsaid jaw willswing, forward and` down to its place onthe abutmentand Abecause ofthe latter its'clampingA effect increases in proportion to the weight imposed upon the jaws.' To openthe device', the handle is depressed and thej'aw 6 will be swung upward andl will free` the casing or tubing. n

Ifi'one of the pivot" pins or the carrying linksof the swinging jawshouldl break, the jaw would slide down the'inclinedabutment and so prevent dropping the'tubing'or casing, sothere'isno danger of this under any circumstances.

The'usey of my` device saves time of putting on an elevator, andi avoids the danger of kinking the pipe Linder the collar andy weakening the thread. It also savestaking the elevatorv off the hook, and, infact, saidA p elevator may be' permanently' fastened to j the'tubing or casing hook, thus eliminating the dangery of the elevator becoming accidentall'yunhookedl and dropped from the. derrick, while in the act of settingthev tubingin the derrick in40,'60 or 80 foot sections,l

which; is customary when pulling the tubing,tofreplace the pumps, or on' account of,

defectivepipe. Further,.by the Ause of my device, the elevator is alwaysV in position and e'asyto attach to: the pipe. This avoidsy the'danger'of kinking and breaking'elevators while'l engagingthe; hook with the links.'

1. A combined casing and tubing tongs andv holder comprising a stock. having. a. fixedy jaw at'. its forwardend, said stock having an inclined-plane abutment opposing and sloping downwardly toward the face of said jaw; a swinging jaw adapted toA move to. and from the fixed jaw, said; swinging jaw having an inclined back correspondingftol and! adapted to coact with the inclined-plane abutment of the stock when the two jaws are in" operative relation; and apair of" parallel links pivotally connecting the swinging j'aw to the'stcck; saidt links lyingl one abovel the other; and: a'V handle pivotally connected with theupper link, to liftthe' swingingjaw,andI means' on the st'ock coacting" with the' handle to hold saidjaw in lifted position.

2. Al combined casing'and* tubing tongs and holder'l comprising ay stock having' aV ixed'jawat its forwardend said" stock havingv an' inclined-plane abutment; opposing and sloping downwardly' toward the face of said' jaw; a swinging jaw` adapted to' move'to'and frointhexed jaw, saidswinging j aw having an inclined back corresponding to and adapted to coact with the inclined-plane abutment of"y the stock when the two/jaws are inoperative relation, a pair of parallel links pivotally connecting the' swinging' jaw to the stock; and a handle vfixed 'aw said Swingin 'aw havino an inclined back corresponding' to and adaptedtv to coact with the inclined-planeabutment of f the stock whenthe twok jaws are in operative relation; a pair of paralleltlinks pivotally connecting the 'swinging-jaw to the stock; a

handle pivotally connected with one of said-r links; androllers carried bvth'e handle and adapted to travel upon and coact withA the fulcrum surfaces yof Jthe stock.

In testimonywhereofI have signed my name' to this specification inthe -presence of two subscribing witnesses;

1 BRUCE Min'xnnn.

Witnesses: Y

L. C. Sol-mn,

R. W. McGiIzL'.

Copi'esof-this patent' maylb'eeobtanedfbrve icentsr` each; byf addressing the-"Gemmissioner of Patents;

Washington, D. G. 

